Hydraulic cooler



June 9, 1942.

E. B. KORTH 2,285,668

HYDRAULIC COOLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Sept. 2, 1938 Iriventur Elmer- BKmr-tl'w Elg- .Fit tmrnegs June 9, 1942. E. B. KORTH 2,285,668

' HYDRAULIC COOLER Original Filed Sept. 2, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 InvEntmr' Elmer HKEIT'tI-I &1

Fittnrneg'i Patented June 9, 1942 UNETED' STATES ATENT OFFIQE HYDRAULIC COOLER Elmer B. Korth, Burlington, Wis.

3 Claims.

This invention appertains to cooling towers, and more particularly to liquid gravity coolers of the type wherein the liquid to be cooled flows from one inclined pan or deck to another.

This application is a substitute for abandoned application Serial No. 228,112 filed September 2, 1938.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide novel means for constructing the pans or decks, whereby the liquid to be cooled will be caused to flow evenly from the pans, and to follow the lower faces of the bottoms of the pans for a considerable distance before dripping off to the next adjacent pan, thereby bringing about the maximum cooling of the liquid.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide the cooling pans with a series of spaced outlet drip openings, whereby to prevent the creeping of the liquid being cooled to the side edges of the pans.

A'further important object of my invention is the provision of novel means for adjusting the inclination of the pans, whereby all of the pans can be quickly and expeditiously disposed at the desired angle to govern the rate of flow according to temperature, seasons of the year, etc.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a closed casing for receiving the pans, with means for forcing air through the casing and around the pans, so as to insure the uniform flow of air around all of the pans.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and formation ofparts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my improved liquid cooler, parts of the view being shown-broken away and in section to illustrate structural details.

Figure 2. is a sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 1, illustrating the novel formation ofthe pans, and the means employed for simultaneously adjusting the pans.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, detail, side, elevational view illustrating a slightly modified form of adjusting means for the pans, parts of the figure being shown in section.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A generally indicates my improved liquidcooling device, and, as shown, the same includes a supporting base or framework 5, which can be of an preferred character or construction. Rising from the opposite sides of the base 5 is a pair of spaced, parallel, supporting standards 6 and I, which rockably'support a plurality of superimposed cooling pans or decks 8.v The standards 6 and 'I can be braced in any preferred manner, and, as shown, the brackets 9 are utilized for firmly anchoring the standards to the base.

The pans 8 incline in opposite directions, and, hence, the liquid to be cooled is adaptedto flow from the uppermost pan to thenext adjacent pan, and down to the. bottom of the cooling device where the liquid-is received in a stationary collecting tank It. This tank Ii] is bolted securely to the standards 6 and I against moveequidistantly spaced outlet or drip openings I5.

I lay particular stress on the fact that I provide spaced outlet openings, as the walls of the openings functionto prevent the creeping of the liquid toward the side walls of the pan. The pans 8 are rockably secured to the standards 6 and I by means of pivot bolts I6, and these bolts extend throughthe standards and through the side walls I2 of the pans adjacent the upper edges of said pans.

When the pans are arranged at an incline to the horizontal, the water or other liquid cooling therein will tend to gravitate toward the lowermost end wall of a pan, and the liquid will flow out of the openings I5 and follow the outer surface of said end walls, creeping along the lower faces of the bottoms of the pans. This is due to the fact that the lower faces of the pans will be disposed substantially in a horizontal plane, and

" the molecular attraction of the liquid, and the liquid will gradually drip oif the bottom of the pan.

If desired, each pan can be provided with a depending guard I'I adjacent its transverse center. This guard can be formed from perforated metal or from woven wire.

Above the uppermost pan is disposed a distributing pipe I8, and this distributing pipe at spaced points is provided with outlet nozzles I9. If desired, the nozzles can be provided with distributing cones 20, and the cones can be provided with depending skirts 20 to prevent deflection of the liquid by draft. The liquid to be cooled can be pumped from the desired source, and when the liquid reaches the bottom of the tank [0, the same can be led away from the tank by an outlet nipple 2!.

While my liquid cooling device can be placed on the roof of a building, so that the pans and liquid will be cooled by a natural draft, I prefer to enclose all of the pans in a suitable housing or casing 22. Thi housing or casing 22 can be carried by the tank I0, and the upper end of the casing is closed by a cover 23. An outlet draft pipe 24 can communicate with the cover 23 of said casing. The side walls of the casing are arranged in close proximity to the sides of the pans 8, and the side walls tend to guide the air over the pans.

Adjacent the bottom of the casing 22 I arrange an air-blower 25, and the outlet 26 of this blower communicates with the interior of the casing. If desired, the inlet of the blower can have communicating therewith an air suction pipe 21, whereby the cooling air can be received from any desired point.

It is to be noted that the edges of the pan are alternately positioned in juxtaposition to the casing walls 22. Hence, the air will travel in a zigzag direction between said pans to the dis charge pipe 24.

To bring about the quick and easy adjustment of the pans 8, I mount an operating shaft 28 on the standards 6 and 1, and these standards can carry suitable bearings for the shaft. The ends of the shaft are extended outwardly beyond the casing 22, and one end of the shaft carries an operating crank 29 or similar device. Keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft 28 are beveled pinions 30, which engage the beveled pinions 3| keyed or otherwise secured to rotatable feed screws 32.

The feed screws 32 are journaled in the brackets 33 carried by the standards 6 and 1, and the side wall of the casing 22. The feed screws 32 and the pinions are arranged on the exterior of the casing 22, so that the side walls of the casing can be brought close to the pans 8. Each of the feed screws 32 have mounted thereon travel nuts 34, and these nuts in turn have pivotally connected thereto arms 35, which arms are, in turn, pivotally connected to links 36 by bolts 31, which extend through slots 38 formed in the side walls of the casing 22. The links 36 are arranged inside the casing 22 and extend alongside the pans 8, and are connected to the desired pans by bolts 39. Obviously, by rotating the shaft 28, the feed screws 32 will be caused to rotate. The rotation of the feed screws will actuate the traveling nuts, and these nuts, in turn, will move the links 36 through the arms 35.

In view of the fact that the feed screw and other operating parts are arranged on the exterior of the casing, it may be desirable to provide a protecting cover therefor. In Figure 3, I have illustrated a protecting casing or cover 43, and the operating parts have been re-designed to a certain extent to facilitate the convenient use of a protecting cover.

The cover 40 is bolted or otherwise secured to the side walls of the casing 22, and the ends of the operating shaft 30 extend into the protecting housings or hoods 40. A feed screw 4| is arranged entirely within the housing or hood and is rotatably mounted in a suitable bearing bracket 42 carried by the casing 22. The upper ends of the feed screws 4| are operatively connected to the ends of the operating shaft 30 by beveled pinions 63. An elongated traveling nut 44 receives the feed screw and slidably extends through the bottom wall 45 of the housing or hood 4!], and the bottom wall forms a guide therefor. The lower ends of the elongated traveling nuts 44 have pivotally connected therewith the operating arms 46, which are, in turn, connected to the pans 8 in the same manner as the arms 35 shown in Figures 1 and 2.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that I have provided an exceptionally simple and durable form of liquid cooler in which the uniform flow of liquid from one pan to the other is insured, and in which the maximum amount of cooling surface is obtained.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of my invention, but what I claim as new is:

1. In a liquid cooling device, a base, supporting standards secured to the base, a series of superimposed cooling pans rockably mounted between the standards, a rotatable shaft carried by the standards, means for rotating the shaft, feed screws, means for rotatably supporting the feed screws, means for rotating the screws from said shaft, traveling nuts on the screws, links pivotally connecting alternate pans, and arms pivotally connected to the nuts and links.

2. In a liquid cooling device, a base, supporting standards secured to the base and rising therefrom, a series of superimposed cooling pans rockably mounted intermediate their ends between the standards, means operatively connecting alternate pans on one side of the device together, means operatively connecting other alternate pans on the other side of the device together, and a single device for synchronously adjusting said means, whereby the inclination of all of the pans can be controlled from a single point.

3. In a liquid cooling device, a base, supporting standards secured to the base and rising therefrom, a series of superimposed cooling pans rockably mounted intermediate their ends between the standards, means operatively connecting alternate pans on one side of the device together, means operatively connecting other alternate pans on the other side of the device together, a single device for synchronously adjusting said means, whereby the inclination of all of the pans can be controlled from a single point, a casing housing the pans, and an outlet and an inlet draft pipe for the casing, said single actuating device being operable from the exterior of the casing.

ELMER B. KORTH. 

